To Serve
by Rhoynar
Summary: (Modern AU) Hiccup wants to do something with his life. But he doesn't know what. So he makes the decision to join the Army. Serving in the Australian Defence Force can't be too hard, right? /Army Hiccup. Hiccstrid/
1. Chapter 1

**This AU will be set in modern day Australia. THAT'S RIGHT, AUSTRALIA!**

He hated this place, hated what it had made him. Hated what his father had moulded him into. A cold, distant, and lonely boy. Now you're thinking, 'here comes the sop story, I'm Hiccup, nothing I ever do is right'

Partially that is what this is. He knew he didn't lead a horrible life, but it wasn't particularly great either. He was just an average teenager with a disapproving father, a nemesis in the form of the school bully 'Snotlout', a crush on a girl insanely out of his league, and no idea what he wanted to do with his life. His father had not exactly been pleased when Hiccup had told him he planned to have half of a gap year, just to figure out what course he wanted to take at University.

So here he was, on his final day of school, with the summer break just around the corner. He didn't do anything over summer anyway, but it would feel good to sleep in for a change. He lived in a small town called Berk which was close to the exact centre of Queensland.

His father was a diehard NRL fan, and expected Hiccup to be. While Hiccup did occasionally enjoy watching the sport, he felt no obligation to play. Leave that to the taller, and more muscular kids.

No, Hiccup's sport was touch football, like NRL, except without the need for muscles, just fast legs. Another thing his father wasn't pleased about.

He was sitting idly as the names of the graduating students were called "Astird Hofferson" said the principle. Astrid almost ran up to the stage to collect her certificate. The crowd erupted in loud cheers and clapping "Harrison Haddock" The crowd fell silent. Harrison stood and made his way over to the principle with his head held high. He ignored the stares and snickers. He wasn't exactly popular here. With his cousin being the captain of the undefeated NRL team, let's just say he as an egotistical bastard. Long story short, Hiccup was a scrawny nerd, Snotlout was a dumb jock, I think you see where I'm going with this.

As he retook his seat his mind flashed to the conversation he had had with his father earlier in the day.

" _Harrison" he had said "It's still not too late, applications for university don't close for another month"_

 _Hiccup just shrugged "I still don't know what I want to do"_

" _Of course you do, you're a smart boy. You'll do a Business course and once you're done you can come work at the company, for me" it is probably important to know that Stoick ran a reasonably large accounting company. In the small country town they didn't get many customers but those who looked online would find that Stoick's services were cheaper than those you could find in big cities, so they did it all online. And thus boomed Stoick's business, one he had hoped Hiccup would be a part of._

" _I said what I want to do, not what you want me to do"_

 _Stoick scowled "This is not a joke Hiccup. I won't be around to take care of you forever, you need to learn real world skills…"_

 _Hiccup was sure his father had rambled on about responsibility and what not. But that phrase had stuck with him._

"Real world skills" he mumbled to himself when an idea came to him _I could just join the army_ he thought.

 _Yes_ he steeled himself. He would do this, not for his father, not for anyone, not to prove anything. He did it because he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to feel like he was doing something good, he didn't want to feel like a mistake, was that wrong? To want some semblance of freedom, to want something of your own? To be able to build yourself up?

He was determined, he would do this. It would be hard. But he would do it, there was no giving up.

"Wow" said Astrid beside him "That's it"

"What?" he said, nonplussed, ripped out of his revelation

"I said 'that's it', we're done. 12 years and it's just over" she said, with a look of awe on her face

"Yeah. Well…we'll all carry a piece of school with us anyway" he said

"Hmm? What do you mean we'll carry a piece of school?" she turned to face him

"It's hard to explain" he shrugged, getting nervous. He had had a crush on this girl since primary school, and he'd never been able to hold a conversation that lasted more than 30 seconds

"Try me" she challenged

"Uh…It's…I…"he sighed "What is dead may never die"

She looked at him, really looked at him, her blue eyes boring into his green ones "What is dead may never die" she said slowly, a grin forming on her face "Who knew you possessed such wisdom, Harrison?"

"Not me" he said raising his hands as if surrendering "Thank George R R Martin for that one"

"Wait? That was a game of thrones quote?" she asked incredulously

"Well…it fits" he shrugged again

Her frown turned into a shade of a grin "I suppose it does. What is dead may never die"

The principle gave some speech about doing what made you happy and blah blah. But Hiccup just wanted to get out of here. He just wanted to apply, the army seemed like the perfect thing. An adventure.

And just like that he had graduated. He stood up from his chair. His father didn't attend so Hiccup would be walking home.

"So…" said Astrid. Hiccup had forgotten she was there

"So?" Hiccup replied

"Where to now?" he asked

"Home…probably" he said with a raised eyebrow

"I meant what career?" she said

"Oh" he chuckled "I'm not sure"

"You going to Uni?" she asked

"I don't know, haven't thought about it"

"What?" she asked, incredulously "But you're a straight A student, any Uni would select you, you'll probably get like an OP of 2"

Hiccup was surprised, he didn't even think Astrid knew his name "Well…If I do go to Uni, I wouldn't know what course to do. I just want to do something meaningful, you know?"

She nodded "yeah, I'm going to try and get a PHD in some medical field, I wouldn't mind behind a doctor, or like a GP (General Practitioner)"

"That sounds awesome" said Hiccup "Good luck, I guess" he said, trying to bring the conversation to a close

"Yeah, I hope you figure out what you're gonna do"

He smirked "If I do, I'll get in touch"

"Cool" she said

Hiccup made to walk off but she grabbed his arm "how though?"

"How what?" he asked

"How will you get in touch if you don't have my number" she drew out a small piece of paper and jotted down her number "Don't lose it" she said

He stared, confused down at the small slip of paper in his hand. He looked up to her and smiled "Never"

And with that they parted ways.

He went home and applied online, filling out his application as best as he could. He applied for a 'Rifleman' position. He did well enough in school to apply to be an officer, or a tactician. But he didn't want that. He didn't have anything to prove to anyone else, but he had something to prove to himself. _I can do this, me, I don't need anyone._

One week later he had been contacted via email that he'd been accepted. He was overjoyed. He nearly told his father, 'nearly' being the operative word. He would have to find a way to Townsville for his assessment and training. Before he could actually be accepted he needed to complete a physical and medical test. The physical seemed easy enough, 15 push ups, 45 sit-ups and a 7.5 on the beep test. The medical, he wasn't sure about that. But he could hope.

He had it prepped, his dad was out at some business meeting. Hiccup had his own car and had just acquired his P's, so he could drive alone.

He hastily wrote a note

 _Dad,_

 _I'm sorry I couldn't be the son you wanted, I need to find my own place. Don't come looking for me. I need to do this_

 _Love Hiccup_

The drive to Townsville took around 8 hours.

He had gotten a single text from his father 'Good luck, I hope you find what you're looking for'

Hiccup grinned. He wanted to text Astrid, or ring her. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was probably all a cruel prank. Snotlout had known how much he liked Astrid. And Snotlout's inability to get her attention coupled with Hiccup's fawning over her was part of what sparked their mutual hatred of each other.

But no, those people didn't exist anymore. He would complete his training.

Townsville was a lot bigger than Berk. He still managed to find the Army base easily enough after plugging the address into the GPS of his Prado. His car wasn't anything special, just something to get from A to B, with room to carry stuff.

He threw the paper with Astrid's number on it out of the window. He needed to leave those people behind, it would not do to dwell on the past and forget to live.

When he got there the clerk had told him to head out to the PT area, that would determine if he went to the next stage. He completed the physical fairly easily. And the medical went very smoothly. By the end of the afternoon he was a recruit. Not a Private, quite yet.

He was assigned a Section and a barracks. He was in Barracks C with Charlie squad.

His squad consisted of 9 men.

The brutality of this place was like nothing Hiccup had ever imagined it would be. But every time he felt like quitting he kept going. He needed to do this.

"Tired Hiccup?" asked Eret, another recruit from Brisbane

"Not even sweating" panted Hiccup as they reached the final leg of their 12 km jog. It had been 6 weeks since he'd signed up. He knew the men in his group fairly well, he knew Eret and Frank the most. For some reason everyone called Frank Fishlegs.

Their Drill Sergeant blew a whistle "Halt" the group came to a stop

He walked up and down, inspecting the 9 men, Hiccup stood as straight as possible. Any sign of weakness and the Drill Sergeant would pounce.

"You look tired Hiccup" he said, approaching him

"No sir" Hiccup replied

"You sure?" he asked

"Positive, sir" he said

"Well then, you wouldn't mind if I asked you to DROP AND GIVE ME 50?"

"No sir" said Hiccup

"What are you waiting for then? The rest of you are dismissed"

Hiccup dropped down and began his 50 push ups, by 40 his arms felt like jelly, push-ups after a 12km jog was not an enjoyable experience. But he reminded himself of his father, he would not disappoint him.

He screamed as he pushed out his last push up.

The Drill Sergeant stood over him, watching him appraisingly.

"That was some damn fine work, son" he said, helping Hiccup to his feet. "Come on, you look like you could either use, food, water, or a sleep in"

Hiccup smiled "Infantry never sleep, sir"

The Drill Sergeant smiled "We could make a fine Infantryman out of you yet, Haddock"

"Thank you, sir"

He dropped him off at his barracks where the rest of the men were stretching out their worn muscles and drinking what looked to be Powerade.

Eret threw Hiccup a bottle which Hiccup caught deftly "Thanks" he said, walking over and collapsing on his bunk, Eret was on top.

Eret jumped off to kneel next to Hiccup "Did you do them?" he asked "All 50?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Damn Hiccup, you are a machine, didn't think you had that in you" Eret said appraisingly

"What is dead may never die" said Hiccup raising his arm

Hiccup had gotten a tattoo across his forearm with that phrase, and Eret had gotten one as well. The gripped each other's forearms when Eret repeated "What is dead may never die, you crazy son of a bitch" Eret finished, shaking his head. He jumped back up onto his bunk

"Probably should get some rest" said Hiccup and within seconds his body had succumb to exhaustion

Over the next few weeks Hiccup got increasingly better at…everything. He was no longer a terrible marksman, although he was nowhere near as good as Eret. He could hold his own in hand to hand combat, and the PT sessions now left him wanting to puke, instead of actually puking.

And then came graduation, when they would pass from recruits to Privates.

He had spent 6 months training for this day, and it was finally here. He graduated. He was a private, he examined himself in the mirror, fully decked out in his dress uniform, it didn't look too bad. There was, however, a hell of a lot of khaki.

They were given free passes after their graduation. Along with an envelope. During training Hiccup had always strongly expressed a will to go overseas, not because he was a bloodthirsty maniac, because he wanted to help.

So finding his orders was not a surprise, so why was he guilty

"You getting shipped out?" asked Eret, also decked out in full uniform, he had just detached himself from his family

Hiccup and Eret compared their letters "Looks like you'll be seeing more of me" said Hiccup

"Oh joy" Eret rolled his eyes

"What are you gonna do with your pass?" asked Hiccup

"I don't know. Enjoy my time. What about you?"

"I'm going to go back to Berk. See my father, might come back here, might stay there. I don't know" said Hiccup, shrugging

"Well…good luck" said Eret

"And to you" said Hiccup nodding

"What is dead may never die" they said in unison as they locked gripped each other's forearms

"See you on the other side" said Eret

"Hiccup already had his things packed, not all of them. He would be coming back here after all. Just a few thing in case he decided to stay in Berk.

He hadn't had time to change out of his uniform. If he wanted to make it to Berk before 10pm he had to leave straight away. It would be awkward if he came home and his father was asleep. He made sure to text his father.

 _I'm coming home_

He never received a reply. That didn't deter him. He sped onwards, down the expanse of highway and rolling hills.

He had arrived at the outskirts of Berk by 8 pm. Which was good, he had made good time by speeding on some sections of the highway.

He pulled up in front of his old house, debating whether or not this was the right choice

He decided he had better get it over with.

He was still decked out in his Army dress gear. He could have taken it off, but some part of him wanted his father to see.

He walked up to the front door and wondered if he should knock, would it be rude if he didn't?

He decided to just open the door, it was dark inside anyway. As soon as he opened the door he was met with a cacophony of noises and light.

There was a large banner that read 'Welcome home Hiccup'

He stared around the room and his eyes widened in shock. He was dressed in his army gear, all of these people could see him in his army dress. Inside the room was Stoick, his uncle, Snotlout and Astrid.

Astrid and Stoick were wearing party hats, Snotlout looked grumpy and his uncle, Spitelout looked bored.

Everyone was staring slack jawed at him. Stoick was the first to snap out of it. "Welcome home Harrison" he said, embracing his son in a bone crushing hug

"Good to see you too, dad" His father let him go. Hiccup peered at the room "Hey guys?" he said, waving lamely

"What are you wearing?" asked Snotlout "Did you steal it?" he asked

Hiccup looked taken aback "No, I did not steal it"

"Yeah right, like Hiccup the Useless could have made it in the army" sneered Snotlout, Spitelout bashed Snotlout over the head with a rolled up newspaper.

Hiccup puffed out his chest and straightened his pose "It's Private Hiccup the Useless to you"

"Whatever" said Snotlout

Hiccup just shrugged and looked away. He didn't join the Army for Snotlout's approval.

"You joined the army?" said Astrid as she walked over

"Yeah" was all he could say

"Never did receive that phone call" she persisted

"Um…yeah…about that…I kind of lost your number" he supplied lamely, hoping his excuse would do

"Ok" she said "I can just give it to you again"

"So…what now Hiccup?" asked his father "You've joined the Reserves? That's a good cause that is…"

"Dad…" Hiccup tried

"Good pay, very good on your resume…"

"Dad…" Hiccup spoke a little louder

"Of course it's going to be a hell of a commute between here and Townsville when you need to go do...Army things, and…"

"DAD" Hiccup snapped. His father stopped talking "I didn't join the reserves. I joined the Army as a full time member, not as a volunteer"

The underlying message was received. Stoick paled and Astrid put her hand to her mouth. Snotlout looked confused, and Spitelout looked completely disinterested

"So you're…?" began Stoick

"Yep…In three weeks I ship out for active duty"

"Three weeks?" said Stoick, looking like he might be sick "Where?"

"Afghanistan" responded Hiccup, trying to inject confidence into his voice.

"I…" Stoick couldn't seem to find the right words "You…I..." he gulped "I'm proud" he finished "I'm proud to call you my son" He embraced Hiccup once more and Hiccup returned the gesture.

 **OK, so. 1. Australian school years start in the end of January and finish in early December or late November. 2. The Reserves are volunteer Army workers, they are volunteers and do not serve active duty unless called upon. 3. A section is a group of men, usually 9-12, I kind of skip between using the term squad and section in this, but you get the drift. 4. An OP is an Overall Position. It's the way school's grade students. 1 is the highest score, and I think 25 is the lowest.**


	2. Chapter 2

The two men broke apart. Hiccup quickly wiped at his eyes.

"So…I've got you for three weeks?" said Stoick

"Yeah. I…uh…didn't know how this would go" he said truthfully

"It's fine" said Stoick "You are more than welcome to stay here, it is your house too"

"Thanks dad"

"You…you're leaving?" asked Snotlout "To Afghanistan?"

"Yeah. I'll be going on a six month tour, then I'll be back for a bit. Then I'll be gone for another six months"

"That's, that's crazy" said Snotlout

"Yeah" said Hiccup awkwardly. His cousin was acting strangely.

Astrid punched him in the arm "Ow" he said "What was that for?"

"For losing my number" she responded

"Alright, we even now?" he asked

"Maybe" she said, grinning wickedly

Spitelout stood "Well, Snotlout and I should be going. Congratulations Hiccup, and good luck over there"

"Thanks uncle Spite" said Hiccup as Spitelout extended his hand. Hiccup grasped it firmly and shook it. Spitelout nodded before walking out the front door

Snotlout looked at Hiccup with…concern? "Just, don't get killed over there little cousin" he said before shuffling out of the house

Astrid's face fell "He's right" she said

"What?" said Hiccup, snapping out of his daze. He was sure he was dreaming, was Snoutlout looking out for him?

"You better not die over there" she said, a serious look on her face

"Astrid" he said calmly "That is extremely unlikely. I'm in a squad with some good men, very well trained men too, I might add"

"But it could still happen, couldn't it?"

"It could" agreed Hiccup "But it won't" he assured her

"Why not?" she asked

"Maybe I have something to fight for" he said, levelling his gaze at her eyes

She wiped her eyes

"Don't cry. I'll be fine" he said

She punched him again, with less force "I was not crying" she spat "And don't think you're special, I just don't want you to die. I work for your dad now, I don't think I could deal with a mopey Stoick"

Hiccup chuckled "Of course" He knew nothing would ever happen between him and Astrid. Her concern had been of a friendly nature, nothing more. "But thanks for being one of the few who worry about my well-being"

"Pshh" she scoffed, looking away "When you're over there, will you have, like, a phone or something?"

Hiccup laughed, but once he caught her death glare he stopped "No, I won't. I'll have a landline which I can use to make calls. But I probably won't use it"

"Oh" she said, disheartened

"But I will have access to Skype" he said quickly, noticing her expression. "We can share Skype details and I'll video chat with you. I-If you want?" he said

"Sure" she said, brightening "Well, just so I can tell your dad that you're fine, of course"

"Yeah" agreed Hiccup nervously "Just to check on me. Make sure I'm okay, so dad doesn't worry. What other reason could there possibly be?" he added sarcastically

He didn't expect her to blush and look away "No reasons" she said "I-uh-gotta go" she said before scooting towards the door "Don't lose my number this time"

"I won't" replied Hiccup. She turned towards the door "Astrid wait"

"Yeah?" she said

"I, was just wondering, if you know, I gotta stay in shape, with like, running and stuff"

"Hiccup, if you have a question, ask it"

"Do you wanna go for a jog one morning?" he asked

"Sure" she said, smiling. "Tomorrow?" she asked "I don't have work until the afternoon"

"Tomorrow morning" he said "yeah, that could work. Just try to keep up" he said as she walked away

"Oh it is on, Haddock"

She got into her small hatchback and drove away.

Hiccup smiled to himself. Did he have a date with Astrid Hofferson? No, it was just a jog. He was being truthful about needing to stay in shape. His Drill Sergeant had told him to take it easy, he didn't want any injuries. But some light jogging coupled with some body weight exercises would help keep his body in shape.

Stoick came back into the living room. He looked at the empty room, then at Hiccup standing in the doorway. "Everyone gone?"

"Yeah" said Hiccup

"I want to give you something Hiccup" he said

"You don't have to do that, dad" replied Hiccup

Stoick shook his head "No, I do" He pulled a golden pocket watch from his pocket "It's our family heirloom. It was my great-great-grandfathers"

He put the watch in Hiccup's hand "Dad, I can't take this" Hiccup protested

"You will take it. It is passed from Father to son, or father to daughter. It is handed down when the son or daughter have proven themselves worthy"

Hiccup stared at the gold watch in his hand, did the army make him worthy?

"To be honest with you Harrison. You've always been worthy, I was just blinded by the loss of your mother to see it. And I want you to know. I was going to give it to you when you came back. Before I knew that you had joined the army"

"But…why?" asked Hiccup

"Because, standing up to me like that. Making the decision to forge your own path, Harrison, that took bravery. God knows I could never stand up to my father" replied Stoick

"You want me to take this?" asked Hiccup

"Everywhere you go, it goes" said Stoick, nodding his head at the small, golden watch

"Even the Middle-East?" asked Hiccup

"Yes"

"Thankyou, dad" said Hiccup

"It was nothing, Hiccup, it's just a watch"

"I wasn't talking about the watch" said Hiccup "Thankyou, dad" he said again, slowly and sincerely. He meant it.

Stoick opened his mouth and closed it, trying to form a coherent sentence

Hiccup just smiled "You up for some food?" asked Hiccup

Stoick nodded "Yes, I could go for some food"

"Order a pizza and watch the NRL?" asked Hiccup

Stoick gaped at him "But you hate NRL"

Hiccup shook his head "I've grown somewhat fond of it. In training they make us play, as a…uh...team building exercise. You know? Unit cohesion and stuff"

"What position do you play?" asked Stoick excitedly

"Alright, calm down" Hiccup joked "Let's order the pizza first"

Hiccup ordered the pizza and re-joined his dad in the living room. They sat at either ends of the three seater couch. Hiccup felt comfort that he didn't know he would find, sitting on his couch. Watching the football silently with his father.

"So" said Stoick, picking up a slice of pizza. It had arrived a few minutes before the game started. "What position do you play? I recall your touch days. And while you've put on some weight, you don't look like a forward"

Hiccup grinned at his father's reasoning "Go on, Sherlock Holmes, deduce what position I play"

"A challenge, ey?" said Stoick, rubbing his hands together "You're tall, and lean. Your touch football skills revolved around your speed, and your agility. You, no offence, aren't the leading type. So not in the halves, and not in the forwards"

Hiccup nodded "Keep going" he encouraged

"You are either a winger, or a centre" said Stoick

"I am, in fact the left winger" said Hiccup, and added for good measure "And the fastest in the competition"

"Really?" asked Stoick

"Yeah, the only guy that comes close would be Jeremy, in Barracks A. But I can still burn him pretty easily"

"Impressive" said Stoick

They sat in comfortable silence. Watching the game. When it was over Hiccup yawned.

"I think I'm going to crash, dad"

"Yeah, yes. Go ahead, your room is as you left it. You are going to need your rest"

"See you in the morning" said Hiccup as he groggily took his bags from the door upstairs into his old room. He dumped the bags down, picked out some clothes, took a quick shower and collapsed onto the bed. Wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

He set an alarm on his phone for around 6 in the morning. He needed to stay in the habit of early wake up calls.

He fell asleep almost immediately after.

He awoke to a loud beeping sound.

He got out of his bed, sighing and running his hands through his hair.

He went downstairs to the kitchen. He also needed to maintain a diet. For breakfast it was toast, protein powder, and a cup of nuts. He had brought some food with him. He doubted his father would have the food he needed to maintain his healthy body weight.

As he put his bread in the toaster he heard a knock on the door.

 _That's strange, who would be coming over this early?_

He groggily made his way to the door, not registering the fact that he only wore a pair of boxer shorts.

He opened the door and was met with a grinning Astrid. ASTRID.

She stared at him "Uh, hi Astrid. What are you doing here?" he asked, _and why are you wearing a tank top and a training bra, and skin-tight leggings. It's like she's trying to kill me_

She gulped "Our-uh-our run" she said

"Oh" he slapped his forehead

"You forgot" she deadpanned

"No, I just didn't specify a time, you can come in if you want. I'm just gonna eat breakfast and then we can go"

"Sure" said Astrid

Astrid sat at a stool next to the kitchen counter and watched Hiccup. Hiccup didn't catch her staring, he was too busy getting breakfast ready. Trying to make, and eat, as fast as he can. He decided he'd drink the protein shake when he got home from the run.

"I'm just gonna run upstairs and get changed" he said

"Sure" she said, snapping out of her daze. She needed to stop staring, but his abs were there, and his chest, and those damn shoulders.

"I'll be right back" Hiccup ran up the stairs two at a time. He quickly undressed, slipping on some long legged skins. Compression was always good when exercising. He put a pair of short gym pants on over the top of the skins. The skins, aptly named, were quite revealing, so it was best to wear clothes over them.

He put on a sleeveless shirt. He didn't like it, he felt like he was falsely boasting, wearing a shirt that revealed the entirety of his arms. They were worn by muscular guys, who wanted to show off their huge arms. Hiccup didn't exactly have a lot of muscle, it was just extremely toned. Oh well, screw what other people thought, it was comfortable and felt good to run in.

He ran downstairs where Astrid was still waiting, he scribbled a note, telling his father where he was, and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet.

"You ready?" asked Hiccup

"Yep" Astrid gulped, averting her eyes from Hiccup's bare arms

Hiccup got two water bottles out of the fridge in case she didn't bring one "Where should we go?" asked Hiccup, as they made their way to his car

"I thought you'd know" asked Astrid

"I'm not the athlete"

Astrid was staring again

"What?" asked Hiccup "Do I have Nutella on my face?"

"No, it's just. The army treated you well, is all" she ran passed him and got into the passenger seat of the car

Hiccup shrugged, girls were confusing.

"I do know of a place though" said Hiccup as he pulled out of the driveway

"Where?" she asked

"Up near Raven's Point, there's a track there. I used to run it in high school"

"Oh…sure"

To Hiccup's surprise Astrid kept up with him fairly easily. They were both panting once they had completed the track, it was a 6 kilometre track, that wound through a national park.

Astrid's hands were on her knees and she was doubled over.

Hiccup smirked and offered her a water bottle that he had put in a small backpack

"Thanks" puffed Astrid

"Ready for another loop?" asked Hiccup, he wasn't even all that tired. He ran 12km every day during training. 12km was difficult, he could do it, but it was hell. By the end of it his legs always felt like jelly. And that time his Drill sergeant made him do 50 push-ups immediately afterwards was the worst run of his life.

"How…the…fuck…are…you…even…standing?" she asked, between puffs

Hiccup laughed "Come on Astrid, you're the athlete. You saying you can't handle the heat?" he asked innocently

"Fuck you, I play netball and tennis. Not exactly sports that require this kind of running" she snapped

"So you're backing down?" Hiccup asked

"Fuck no" she then began to jog, back up the trail

Hiccup grinned before running after her, letting her set the pace. If she wanted slow, they'd go slow.

Halfway through the track he noticed Astrid starting to sway.

He jogged up to her "Hey" he said, grabbing her arm

She was red faced and looked like she was about to puke

"Let's walk" said Hiccup, she nodded. He handed her a water bottle and she took it gratefully

"Can we sit down?" she asked

"Noooo way" protested Hiccup

She glared at him "Hiccup, I need rest, you can't stop me"

"You'll regret it, you stop moving those legs for too long and you'll cramp up. It's not that far, we'll walk the rest of the way"

And so they did, Astrid knew he was right, and cramping was not something she was fond of.

When they reached they entrance Astrid sighed. "Finally" she said, and they walked out towards where they parked the car

"How are your legs?" he asked

"Sore" she replied, her calves felt like they were on fire. The cramp hit her like a bullet train

"Fuck" she swore, and her calf cramped, she stayed perfectly still, trying to stretch out the offending muscle.

"Here" said Hiccup, easing her onto the ground. He laid her on her back. She knew what he was doing, he was going to stretch it out. He pushed her leg upwards, it hurt at first, but as soon as the muscle unclenched she let out a sigh of relief. "You all good?" he asked

"I blame you for this?" she spat

He at least had the audacity to look guilty "Yeah, come on. Can you walk?" he asked, offering a hand to help her up. She took it, not knowing if her legs would give out again

They walked in silence to the car "We gotta stretch" said hiccup "Don't want any more cramps in the car"

They stood, stretching for around five minutes, Hiccup could feel the tension in his muscles ease, he knew Astrid felt it too. In a bold move he spoke. "Lie down on the bench" he said. Pointing to a small wooden seating area

"What?" asked Astrid

"Just trust me" he said

She walked over to the bench and lied down on her back

"Lie on your stomach" he said, he pulled a package from his pocket

"Why?" she asked

"Just do it" he said

She did it "Hiccup what are you…?"

She was cut off by his knuckles kneading her calves. It hurt, damn it hurt. But I was a good kind of pain. She could feel the knots and tension leaving her muscles. He switch to the other calf.

Hiccup saw that this hurt her, but it needed to be done. It was for her own well-being. He started to roll up her leggings

"What are you doing?" she asked

"Just going to put some Deep-Heat on your calves"

She nodded and he continued. He rolled them up and firmly massaged the cream into her legs. He was touching Astrid Hofferson, he was rubbing her god damn legs.

He finished soon after.

"Thanks" mumbled Astrid

It became a daily thing for them. Every morning they would go for a jog, but now Astrid would only run 6km while Hiccup would do a second lap.

His day of deployment was getting closer. But for the first time since he started training, he didn't want to go. He was friends with Astrid Hofferson, the most beautiful girl in Berk. His father didn't greet him with a disappointed scowl every time he saw Hiccup. But he needed to go.

Hiccup and Astrid had just finished their jog and were walking to the car.

"You're unusually quiet today" said Astrid, nudging him with her elbow

He gave her a small smile "You don't know what day it is, do you?" she furrowed her eyebrows as they walked

"What? Should I-?" she stopped walking and talking

After a moment Hiccup registered that she was no longer walking beside him "Astrid?" he turned

Her brow was still furrowed, as if she were in deep concentration

And then the tears came. She started racking with sobs. Hiccup's eyes went wide. He didn't expect this reaction "Hey" he said soothingly. He moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. This would have usually been met with a punch or a snide remark on Astrid's part. Hiccup expected her to push him away. But she did the opposite. She wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his chest and held onto him as tightly as she could.

He rubbed soothingly circles on her back as she continued to cry into his test. If he were honest, she was gripping him tightly, very tightly. She was deceptively strong.

She pulled back, trying to pull herself together "I'm sorry" she said, wiping at her eyes "I just…I don't know what came over me" she said

Hiccup smiled "It's fine" he replied

"You…You're leaving" she said, staring at him, she put a good metre in between them

He smiled again, it was a sad smile this time "Yeah. I have to go"

"But you don't" she said, stepping towards him "Just quit, say you won't go"

"Ok. 1. That's illegal and I could be sent to prison, I signed a contract for three years in the service. And 2. I wouldn't do it anyway"

She looked hurt "Why?" she asked "Are we not good enough for you?"

"No" said Hiccup "You…just you, are more than enough. But I made a promise to myself, and to this country, a commitment. And I don't break my promises. I started this, and I'll be damned if I don't finish it"

"But what if you get hurt?" she asked again. He recalled their conversation on the night of his return

"I won't" he said "I promise" he stepped forward

She looked afraid, not the Astrid Hofferson he knew "You mean it, you promise?" she asked in a small voice

"Of course" he said "It's different then it was before anyway" he said softly

"How?" she asked, gulping

"Because while I'm over there. There'll be something to keep me going, something to remind me why I'm fighting, why I need to come back" he started "You see, me and this girl go jogging every day. So I gotta make it back so we can continue. And I've got to admit, she's kind of cute. Especially when she gets frustrated or mad. But the thought of her, that will definitely be enough incentive for me to fight"

She moved faster than he expected. He lips crashing against his. He returned the kiss eagerly. After a while, a minute, an hour, he didn't know, and frankly, he didn't care.

"You're coming back" she said firmly. It wasn't a question

"Definitely" he breathed before leaning and capturing her lips with his mouth.

The next day Astrid and Stoick were seated in the living room with Hiccup. Hiccup had packed his things. He wouldn't actually get deployed for another three days, but he needed to go back to base.

"I guess this is goodbye" said Hiccup. The three of them stood awkwardly.

"We'll see you in six months" said Stoick

"Yeah" said Hiccup "Six months" he whispered to himself

"You said it yourself Hiccup, you'll be fine. Skype us. I didn't spend an hour teaching your dad how to use Skype for no reason" said Astrid

Hiccup chuckled, his mood lifting "Yeah. I'll Skype when I can" he readjusted his duffel bag

Stoick pulled Hiccup into a bone crushing hug "Good luck"

"Thanks dad. But I won't need it" he said before turning to Astrid

Stoick seemed to get the hint. He mumbled something about the kitchen being on fire and backed away

Hiccup smirked at his retreating figure "Don't go replacing me" joked Hiccup "I don't want to come back and find you with another running buddy"

Astrid smiled "I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, the running buddy I have now is kind of cute"

Hiccup raised his eyebrows "Oh really?"

"A little bit" she admitted

He smiled before pulling her to him and kissing her.

He never wanted it to end, he didn't want to break apart.

But he had to "I'll come back to you" he said

"I know" she whispered "because if you don't, I'll castrate you"

Hiccup chuckled "I wouldn't expect anything less" he leaned his forehead against hers.

Stoick cleared his throat noisily. They broke apart "I better be off" he said, with one final wave he made his way to his car. For the first time in his life, he felt that he had some place to come back to. Some place where he belonged. He once thought he could only belong in the military. But being back in Berk, it was almost too good to be true.

"I will make it back" he told himself as he drove.

Three days later he boarded a carrier plane with his squad. Eret sat next to him, across from them was Fishlegs who was sweating profusely.

Hiccup pulled out a photo Astrid had made him take. It was a selfie of the two of them. She told him it was to remind him of the promise he had made.

"Fish doesn't like flying" said Eret, interrupting his thoughts "Who's that?" he asked, pointing at the picture

"My...uh, I don't know what we are. But we kissed, and she told me she'd castrate me if I didn't come back to her. I'm not sure what that makes us"

Eret laughed "You've got yourself a keeper there Hiccup"

Hiccup smiled to himself "Yeah, I suppose I do"

Before he knew it he was in another country, another continent.

"You nervous?" asked Eret as they walked out of the carrier and onto foreign soil

"Yeah" said Hiccup

"Hey, we'll be fine" he extended his arm

"What is dead may never die" said Eret

"What is dead may never die" responded Hiccup, gripping Eret's forearm

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for the response to my first chapter. Sorry if there are mistakes. I am looking for someone to Beta my work. If you would, could you PM me.**

 **As always, reviews are always welcomed.**

 **Also, if you don't understand some of the Australian stuff /Like the slang, or Australian systems/ P.M me and I'll explain**


	3. Chapter 3

"Private Haddock" someone screamed

 _Shit, that's me_. Hiccup was currently seated on the edge of his bunk in his squads housing area. He shared this with 8 other Private's and their Section Leader, a Lance Corporal by the name of Greggory Belch, who they called Gobber for some reason.

Hiccup was lucky enough to have Eret and Frank assigned to the same squad he was. Hiccup jolted upright and into a saluting position. It was always necessary to show respect, even if he had no idea who was calling for him.

He kept his eyes forward until a huge bulking man stood in front of him "At ease" said Lance Corporal Belch.

Hiccup relaxed into the 'at ease' position, his legs slightly spread and his hands behind his back

"Yes, sir?" Hiccup inquired

"Normally, I would be the one to round up the troops. But I need to attend a briefing in 15 minutes. I need you to gather up the squad. I've put an announcement out on the P.A" Yes, Hiccup had heard that, but not all of the squad was here "Take this two way radio, go and find them, when I'm done, if you're not here, I'll radio"

"Yes sir" said Hiccup, still in his position

"Go on, you are relieved" Hiccup walked at a brisk pace out of his small Barracks. He had been here for three days with almost nothing to do. He had Skyped home and told his father he was fine. It turns out that they did have a phone capable of receiving and making calls. But they were not allowed to use it while the base was in lockdown. So he had called Astrid and told her that this was a number she could contact him on. The phone was shared between the entire camp. But when someone rang they would have to say who they were ringing for. Then someone from the office would put out an announcement for that person that there was a call for them, he had called Astrid, but had not received any calls as of yet.

Hiccup made his way to the entertainment room, which was quite close to the living areas, as was the mess hall. He guessed that some of the guys might be there, sometimes if someone had the music or TV too loud you couldn't hear the P.A. Hiccup entered the small room. Inside was a long sofa with a TV situated in front of it. Eret was strewn across the sofa, asleep.

Hiccup kicked the cushion underneath him and Eret jolted. He jumped and stood straight, ready to deck the person that woke him up "Hiccup! What the fuck?"

"Gobber is calling a Section meeting, get your fat arse back to the barracks, and if you see any of the others tell them aswell"

Eret rubbed at his eyes "What do you reckon?" asked Eret, as they searched the rest of the entertainment complex

"I don't know, patrol maybe" said Hiccup, shrugging.

Hiccup found the rest of the guys, they were in a room playing pool with the music pumping. Hiccup turned it off to many 'boo's' and 'what was that for?'

"Everyone in Lance Corporal Belch's section, get up. We are heading back to Barracks" hiccup called to the room

"Why?" asked Frank, who was leaning over the table with a pool que, ready to strike

"Don't know, but Gobber want's us all there. Says he had an announcement or something I don't know. Just get back to Barracks!"

Hiccup was currently in the province of Kandahar, it was 9:00 in the morning here, he wondered what time it would be in Berk, it'd be around 1:30 pm. He might give them a call later. He had promised that if anything of note happened he'd call, either on Skype or via the base's phone.

Hiccup got all of the men back into the Barracks

He heard faint static at his hip

"Haddock" came a voice

He raised the radio to his mouth "Yes, I have them all sir"

"Good, I'm on my way" said Gobber, the radio cut off

All of the men were seated on their bunks, waiting for Gobber.

As soon as he entered everyone stood stock straight

"Alright" Gobber started "You're all here. This section will be participating in a routine patrol. We are taking the place of Bravo Section, those men have finished their tour and gone back home. We will be filling their slot for the next six months. We will patrol nightly and the occasional morning or day, depending of what HQ needs. Any questions?"

"When?" said Hiccup

"First patrol is tonight"

"Where?" Hiccup continued

"Tonight, we are taking a Bushmaster PMV out to some hole named Karz"

"What time?" asked Hiccup, it seemed he was the only one willing to speak

"1700" said Gobber "We will rotate between Karz, which is a farming area and a village called Dand. Anymore questions?" No one responded "Alright, I suggest you get your gear ready, be back here by 1630, we will leave at 1700. I expect full combat gear. You never know what's waiting for us. Your weapons can be retrieved from the weapons locker. I assume you're all familiar with the F88 AUSTEYR?" the group nodded "Good, Private Ingerman" he turned to Fishlegs "I expect you to check your long range radio and ensure it works" Fishlegs was the squad's radioman. "Private Richards" he turned to one of the guys "I except you to retrieve the F89 Light Support Weapon. You are this squad's machine gunner. Make sure to check your weapon" he turned to the entire group "That goes for everyone, check your weapons out now, Sergeant Jackson will have cleaned and tested your weapons, but I expect you to give them a thorough cleaning anyway. Dismissed" he said. He turned and exited the room.

Eret let out a long whistle "Patrol" he said, more to himself than to anyone else. Hiccup heard him because their bunks were right next to each other.

Hiccup clapped him on the back "We'll be fine" come on.

And so they were. They went out to patrol Karz that night until 2300, they returned and crashed. Only to patrol Dand from 1100 to 1700. It went like this for three weeks. It was quite boring, Hiccup was usually seated in the back of the Bushmaster with the squad and Eret was on the swivel. At Dand, the denseness of the village didn't allow for a Bushmaster to get into, so that patrol was on foot.

He had kept the occasional contact with home. Calling Astrid or his father on Skype before or after his patrol of Dand. Occasionally Astrid would still be up after his Dand patrol, it was always around 9:30 when he finished

He was always tired, almost falling asleep. But he made the commitment to call sometimes to let them know he was okay. One time he had not called them for four days and they had rung the base. His father had told him that he should call more often, that they just wanted to know if he was safe.

So here he was, before his usual patrol of Dand, hopping on Skype. Astrid had gotten into some advanced medical course at University. But he knew she wouldn't be at Uni today. He put his earphone in and logged onto Skype. He called. He had paid for Skype so he could video call them

Astrid had answered after three rings, she was adjusting her webcam.

"Hiccup!" she called "Hey, hold on, my webcam is messing up"

He laughed, hearing her voice was the sweetest thing he could ask for "Take your time, don't exactly have a bad view" he said. The webcam was fixated on her stomach

"Shut up" she said "Woah, what's with the fancy dress?" she asked, once she was seated

He assumed she meant the fact he was decked in his combat gear. Full camo clothes and a bulky vest, his backpack lay on the floor, he had about 30 minutes to kill before he had to go "I'm about to go out. Just wanted to call, let you know I'm alive. Sorry I haven't called for the past few days. It's gotten really hectic out here, upped our training and everything"

"Well, you look good" she supplied

"Why, thank you. How's your course going?" he needed to hear about something other than the Army. He wanted to know what was happening back home

"It's going good, it's a challenge, but hey, I like challenges. I'm so sorry Hiccup, but I have to go to work. Someone called in sick and I have to fill in" She looked apologetic

"That's fine, I probably should head to the motor pool anyway, see if Eret needs help"

"Eret's fine" came a voice from behind him, he turned. Eret was walking down the row of bunks towards Hiccup "Who you talking to Hiccup?" he asked

Hiccup smiled and stood up, he unplugged the earphone. He angle the laptop so both he and Eret were in frame "Astrid, this is Eret. Eret this is Astrid"

"Hi" said Astrid

"Hi" said Eret "Is she the one that's going to castrate you?"

Astrid laughed, and so did Hiccup "Most likely" said Hiccup

"Alright" said Eret "I'll leave you to love birds to it"

Hiccup just smirked, he was used to Eret's humour. Astrid apparently, was not. She blushed and stammered "He-we—we're not"

Hiccup just laughed again "Relax, that's just Eret for you. Anyway…"

"Hiccup" said Eret "Bring extra water and ammo" called Eret

"Why?" called Hiccup. This was usually unheard of

"There's been chatter" said Eret "Things might get heated tonight"

Hiccup nodded and set his jaw. Combat was something he had been training for, but he didn't think that training could prepare him at all for what it was like to take a life.

He realised Astrid was still online "Sorry about that" said Hiccup with a sad smile

Astrid was looking determinedly at the webcam "It's fine….just stay safe, please?"

Hiccup smirked "Of course, but only for you, milady"

Astrid smiled "Good luck"

"You know" he said quickly before she could hang up "All of this concern, a guy might actually think you cared"

She scoffed "Keep telling yourself that Haddock"

He chuckled "Alright, goodbye Astrid" She had a sad look on her face "What's wrong?"

"It's just" she said, wiping her eyes "What if that's the last thing you say to me?"

Hiccup understood "Hey, I'm coming back" he said "Not even death can keep me away from you"

She smiled through her tears "You are really fucking smooth Haddock" she said "And I do care, Hiccup, I care a lot"

"I care about you too. But I do have to go" he said

"Yeah, I understand. Go save the word"

He chuckled "I wouldn't call patrolling for 5 hours saving the world, but thankyou"

"Hiccup you're serving our country, you're a god damn hero, whether you like it or not. Call me when you get back, we can properly catch up. I'll still be up by the time you get back. Goodbye" she hung up

Hiccup smiled, she had said that she cared for him. As friends? Or as more than friends? He didn't know.

He left. The patrol in Dand was going as usual, endless walking through the streets.

"Oh this is boring" said Eret, walking up to fall in step beside Hiccup

"Would you rather we were getting shot at?" asked Hiccup

"You know what? Maybe i-" he was cut off by a loud bang, the squad reacted instantly. It wasn't an explosion, someone had fired a gun nearby. The squad all scrambled for cover. Hiccup and Eret found some behind an old car.

"Anyone got eyes on?" asked Gobber

"Negative" said Hiccup

"Fishlegs, radio it in" said Gobber

Fishlegs called HQ on the radio and reported that shots had been fired. They were in a street with lots of cover, luckily. This street was lined with small houses and two two story buildings at the end of the road. Hiccup saw a glint in a window.

"Two story window" he called "3 o clock" the section turned as one and readjusted their cover. They were all in open view of that window.

Then the shots came. The window lit up with a muzzle flash and a tirade of bullets flew at them

"Still think this is better?" asked Hiccup as he knelt behind the car. A smashing sound alerted him to the fact that the gunman had shot the window of the car he and Eret were taking cover behind.

Eret shrugged

"Haddock, Richards" called Gobber "You two are our best infiltration team. Take Fishlegs and work your way up the left side of the street. The buildings should hide you. We will cover you" said Gobber

Hiccup and Eret nodded. "Fishlegs" called Hiccup "over here, leave your radio. Your coming on infil with us" Fishlegs nodded

"Alright" yelled Gobber "Suppressing fire"

His squad rose as one and pummelled the building with bullets. The muzzle flashes coming from inside the building stopped. "Alright go" said Hiccup, the three of them sprinted across the open road and hit the opposite wall hard. The stood, pressed against the wall, as flat as they could be. Hiccup peeked out and saw that the muzzle flashes had resumed, there looked to be two in the top floor and around four in the bottom floor. They crept around the back of the building. They stopped by the back door, Hiccup turned the knob slightly. It wasn't even locked.

Eret ready a flashbang "You go high, I go low" said Eret. Hiccup nodded

Hiccup turned to Fishlegs "You come in after us, tell them to cease fire, we don't want them shooting us" he whispered

Hiccup opened the door slightly. Eret rolled the flashbang in. He hoped the men upstairs wouldn't hear. But over the gunfire, he doubted they would heard anything. This building looked like it could have been a café once. The back door opened directly into the lower floor where he guessed that four of the men were. The flashbang exploded. Hiccup burst in, followed by Eret. All of the men on the bottom floor held AK-47's and were clutching their ears. Upon seeing them they tried to raise their weapons. Hiccup didn't hesitate, he shot off two shots, hitting the first insurgent in the chest twice. He popped off two more, hitting the next. He was dimly aware of Eret shooting the other two.

He didn't have time to analyse the fact that he had just killed two men. There wasn't time, because there were more upstairs. The stairway was immediately to the left of the back door. Fishlegs was knelt down at the bottom with his weapon trained on the landing upstairs. He heard voices upstairs, they were yelling, he guessed they would be wondering why the shooting stopped. He tapped Fishlegs on the back, a signal for Fishlegs that the bottom room was secure and that he should move up. Fishlegs crept up the stairs. Hiccup and Eret followed. A man suddenly ran around the corner, he too was armed. Fishlegs shot him immediately. The man crumpled and rolled down the stairs.

Eret moved up passed the two, another flashbang in hand. He rolled it through the doorway. It blew up. Eret and Fishlegs were the first to go through. Hiccup followed, there were two men in the room, they were facing out of the window, Eret shot the one closest to him in the shoulder, Fishlegs did the same. They could kill them. But it was better to get one alive. After all, the two men were still stunned from the flashbang and had made no move to kill them. Eret pulled out a zip tie and tied and insurgents hands behind his back, Fishlegs did the same. There was a couch in the corner of the room. He heard Fishlegs tell Gobber that the building was clear and that they should move up.

Then it happened, just as Hiccup was nearing the couch. A person jumped up from behind it, aiming an assault rifle at him. 6 months of training and three more weeks here had honed his reflexes. The person had time to get a single shot off before Hiccup had planted a bullet right between his eyes.

"Shit" yelled Hiccup

"Fuck that was close" said Eret. He rushed over to Hiccup, who was staring blankly at the man he killed, no, not man, kid. He couldn't have been older than Hiccup. _I just killed a damn kid_.

Eret started patting Hiccup around his body "You good, man? You hit?" asked Eret

Hiccup shook his head "No, no I'm fine, he missed" he said. He knew he must have a strange expression on his face.

Eret calmed down "Thought I lost you for a second. You ok?" he asked

"Yeah, I told you, he missed" said Hiccup

"That's not what I meant" said Eret

Hiccup shook his head "I'm fine"

"Ok. Fishlegs, radio this in. Get someone from HQ up here to take these guys" he said, gesturing to the two men.

Hiccup strolled over to the boy, he 15, maybe 16. You could see he had only just started to grow. He didn't know how long he stood there, staring.

"It's a fucking shame" said Gobber

Hiccup jumped "What, sir" said Hiccup

"It's a damn shame" he said, pointing at the boy "He was young. Too young" Hiccup nodded "Some warlord over here, goes by the name of Alvin the Treacherous, takes kids from their god damn home, and forces them to fight. Some do it for their religion or whatever, but some have no choice"

Hiccup stared numbly at the boy "Don't worry Private, we'll find him. And when we do, he'll be locked in a hole"

Hiccup nodded once more.

He heard Fishlegs radio go off, calling the section "We have a job for you" the voice on the other end of the radio said

"Go ahead" said Fishlegs

"A section is pinned down on the outskirts of Dand, they are under heavy fire from the mountain range, head due west and meet up with their Lance Corporal, assist as needed, is that understood"

Fishlegs looked at Gobber, Gobber nodded. "Understood, HQ, Charlie squad, out"

"Alright" said Gobber "Looks like we're not done yet. Mahoney, Fishers. You stay here with the prisoners. Hand them over to whoever comes to pick them up, then head due west to us. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir" said the two privates in unison

"Good, alright everyone, let's go"

They had arrived at the scene 10 minutes later. Two other sections had come to assist. There was heavy fire from the mountain above. Hiccup had found cover and used his ammo sparingly. They couldn't really get ground vehicles in here. So they were on their own. And HQ didn't want to send any aircraft just yet. They didn't know if they had any air defences up there. The firefight had lasted 7 hours. He guessed the enemy had retreated, there was no way to know if they had hit any of them. HQ had sent in an attack chopper to strafe there position. That is probably what scared them off.

They walked to the outskirts of Dand where a bushmaster was waiting to receive them. The ride back to base was quiet. They were all tired, except for Hiccup. The adrenaline was still coursing through his body, he had never felt more awake, or alive than what he was at that moment.

Astrid had arrived back home after a long night of waiting tables. She worked at the local diner. It helped pay the bills, considering she was now living alone.

She did what she had to do, got her washing off of the line, washed her dishes and sat on her bed with her University work and her laptop. Hiccup would usually come on around 9:30 and he had said he would call back. 9:30 came and went and Hiccup had still not called. She was not worried, however, she knew he could just be late. Then it was 10:30, 11:30, 12:30. Still no call from Hiccup, her University work was long finished. She was worried now, why hadn't he called. Did something happen to him, surely not. If something did happen they would ring Stoick, and Stoick would ring her. She was overreacting, but Hiccup had never stood her up when he had planned to call.

Then she heard it, the ring of Skype on her laptop. The caller was Hiccup, she pressed accept, ready to give him a mouthful for not calling her back. It was 2 in the morning. But as soon as she pressed accept all thoughts of yelling at Hiccup vanished. He was dirty, his face was caked with dirt and sand, his eyes were wide and his pupils dilated. He looked strange, he looked lost. Like he didn't know what to do with himself

For a second he just stared at the camera "Hiccup" she prompted "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" he cleared his throat "yeah I'm fine" he said, nodding, more to himself than her. It was as if he was trying to reassure himself.

"What happened, why are you all dirty?" she asked. He looked away "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me"

"Tell me what I'm doing is right" he pleaded "Tell me I'm a good person, tell me I'm not the bad guy"

"Hiccup what, you are a good guy, Hiccup what is this about?" she asked

He shook his head, wiping away tears "I killed three people today" he said

Oh, shit. How should she respond to this "Did they try and hurt you?" she asked

He nodded "If I didn't kill them, they would've killed me"

"Killing a person isn't supposed to be easy Hiccup, but you did the right thing"

He nodded and looked away, his jaw set. "I'm a monster" he whispered

"Hiccup!" she started "You are not a monster"

"He was a kid" he said, looking at his hands in his lap "A god damn kid, maybe 15, maybe 16. And I shot him" he said "Now that you know that, tell me, tell me I'm not a monster"

She had her hand over her mouth. She couldn't begin to imagine how Hiccup feels "You are not a monster Hiccup. I think you just need rest. You look tired"

He nodded "Yeah, some rest would be good" he said "Sorry if I woke you" he said "Goodbye Astrid"

"Goodbye Hiccup" she said, before hanging up.

She didn't know what to do with herself. Didn't know what to do with this new information. How could she possibly console or justify what Hiccup did, it was all in self-defence. But still, he had killed three people.

Her heart ached with the question until sleep overtook her. She remembered that shy boy in high school, the cocky grin on his face when he got back from training. She compared it to the Hiccup she had seen on Skype, that was not the same Hiccup, it was as though the light had been taken from him.

She didn't know how to feel. How are you supposed to react when the guy you love kills-WHAT! Love? No. Love is a bond that takes years to form. She certainly liked Hiccup, the three weeks she had spent with him were possibly the happiest three week she had had. No, she didn't love him, but given enough time, she was sure she could grow to love him. Maybe when he got back. If he got back. Oh god, what if he never came back?

* * *

 **Hey guys, thanks for reading.**

 **As always reviews are greatly appreciated**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the wait guys**

Sleep was a sweet, sweet relief. That night Hiccup was so tired that he had turned in his weapon and gear before immediately crashing in his bunk. His exhausted body and mind had completely shut down. He drifted into a deep slumber only to be awoken at 6:00 am sharp, as his body was programmed to do. To his surprise no one else was awake. None of his other squad members were even out of their bunks. Including Frank, who always woke up before Hiccup to get first dibs at the Mess Hall. Hiccup shrugged and made his way outside towards the gym as was his custom. An early morning run on the treadmill, breakfast, back to the gym for weight training, an hour of down-time, Mess Hall for lunch, back to the gym, then get orders. That was basically Hiccup's daily plan, usually Gobber didn't make an appearance in the mornings unless there was an important announcement to be made.

He jogged 10 kilometres on the treadmill. 10 km's seemed like a breeze now. Soon enough he was finished. He was headed to the Mess Hall for his morning breakfast when he was interrupted by Gobber.

"Haddock!" he yelled

Hiccup spun and was face-to-face with Lance Corporal Belch

"Haddock, what are you doing up? You know protocol" Gobber lectured

"Protocol?" Hiccup said, confused

Gobber sighed "You should be sleeping. Mandatory Psych evaluations after combat?" Gobber queried

 _Shit_ "Oh, I forgot" said Hiccup lamely. After a section was faced with a combat situation they were allowed a single day of rest and recovery as well as a mandatory Psych evaluation before they were cleared to return to active duty.

"You should be resting, Haddock"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just get some food and head back then" said Hiccup "I just gotta make a call"

Hiccup took his time having breakfast, he was sure Astrid was probably still asleep and didn't want to wake her. After half an hour of picking at his food he grew bored and went back to his bunker to retrieve his laptop. He quickly logged on and called Astrid

He felt better than he did last night. He still felt guilt, eating at him, but now it was eating away at him at a slower pace than it was last night.

Astrid answered after 10 seconds of ringing. To Hiccup's surprise she didn't look all that tired.

"Hey" he said, smiling

"Hey" she replied meekly

"Listen" started Hiccup "About last night…I'm really sorry about dumping all of that stuff on you"

She waved it off "It's fine Hiccup, it really is. If you need someone to talk to, you know I'm here, right?"

"Yeah, thanks Astrid. That means a lot" he smiled warmly "I'm sorry but I've gotta go. I have a rest day today, and I'm really tired. I'll probably be sleeping all day and we have to go through this mandatory Psych evaluation tonight. But I'll be on later tonight, if you want to talk?"

"Yeah" she smiled "Sounds great"

"Alright, I'll talk to you later then?"

"Yeah, bye Hiccup"

"Bye" he hung up

He decided to also call his dad, it was best if he did. He didn't want him to fret, especially if Astrid had told his father what had happened last night.

He knew his father probably wouldn't be at home, so he wouldn't answer skype so Hiccup used the Base's phone

His father didn't pick up but Hiccup left a quick message "Hey dad, just letting you know I'm alive. I'm gonna be busy all day today, but I'll call again tonight. Bye"

The psych evaluations weren't extremely in-depth, just the usual 'are you having any negative thoughts?' and a bunch of other questions about guilt and PTSD. Hiccup passed with flying colours. One of the guys in their squad, Anderson, he didn't. Hiccup guessed that he just snapped, that the stress was too much.

Before he knew it he was back in routine. During the rest of his tour Hiccup only faced combat four more times, none as brutal as the first. The fighting was always from a distance, Hiccup never knew if any of his shots killed or even maimed anyone. He would usually just sit in cover, poke his head up, and spurt 3-round-bursts in the general direction of the enemy. The distance that was between them made it hard to get a clear shot, or even see them. The other squads in the 1st Infantry Division were fairing the same. Hiccup's section, Charlie, had only lost one member, Anderson, he had been medically discharged after his psych evaluation.

But now it was all coming to an end. He was waiting at the airport, the plane he would soon be boarding was fuelling up. Eret and his other squad members were seated beside him.

"We'll be home soon" Eret spoke up

"Yeah" said Hiccup "What is it, a 14 hour flight?"

Eret shrugged "Something like that" Hiccup gave him a small smile before returning his attention to the plane "You gonna get that girl, or what?"

Hiccup pulled the photo of Astrid from a pocket on the front of his vest. "If she'll have me" Hiccup sighed

"What?" asked Eret, he could tell something was off about the tone of Hiccup's voice

"It's been 6 months, how do I know she hasn't found someone else. Someone better" he mumbled the last part

"Nonsense" exclaimed Eret "You talked to her last week didn't you?"

"Yeah, I don't know. I've just never really felt like…this" he said. Eret looked at him as if to say keep going "No one has ever really cared about me, like, at all. My dad couldn't give two shits. Astrid barely even gave me a second glance. I just, I'm not used to this, and now I've got it, it's something I could lose. And I don't know if I'd be able to go back to being Hiccup the Useless"

"You're not Useless Hiccup. If you were Useless you'd be dead, I'd probably be dead" Eret said, slapping a meaty hand on Hiccup's shoulder

"Thanks man"

"We're done here" called an engineer

"I guess that's us" Eret stood and collected his gear, Hiccup did the same

"I wonder what home is like" pondered Hiccup "I wonder if it's changed at all"

"Eh, probably not" Eret and Hiccup walked side-by-side onto the lowered ramp at the rear of the plane and ascended into the cargo-hold. The climbed found a seat at the end of the row and strapped in.

A short time later the pilot climbed down the ladder and checked that we had done our straps correctly.

"You boys ready?" the pilot asked the group

He was met with a wave of nods

"Good, wheels up in 5"

 _Home_ thought Hiccup. It seemed like such a strange concept, he would be returning home. He would not have to carry around a weapon when he went outside, people would probably not try and kill him, and he wouldn't kill anyone. At least, not for another 3 months until he's sent back to Afghanistan.

* * *

"Come on, come on" exclaimed Astrid "We're gonna be late"

"Someone's excited" said Ruffnut as she wiped over the last few tables

"Hiccup's coming home" she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet

"Calm your tits, woman" Ruffnut threw the dirty cloth at her "There, all done. Now let's go get your boy-toy"

"Not my boy-toy" Astrid deadpanned

"Yeah, you wish he was though. I've never seen you like this, all jittery" Ruffnut waved a hand over Astrid's body as if it were an apt explanation

"What?"

"You're seriously wound up, when's the last time you had sex?" asked Ruffnut

Astrid bit her lip. She hadn't realised it had been so long, it was before graduation. She had lost her virginity at some random party with a random, nameless guy because she was drunk and horny, and that guy had been in the right place at the right time.

"It's been…a while" she said slowly

"Well, now that Hiccup's home I'm sure you'll be getting plenty of it, don't worry"

Astrid bit her lip. _Would Hiccup want her, want sex?_ She didn't know. She knew she liked him, she liked what the Army had done to his body. And ok fine, she definitely wanted to have sex with him. He was very attractive, was that a crime?

Ruff collected her keys from the desolate counter. "Come on, let's go get you some Hiccup dick"

Astrid didn't even hit her, or have a remark ready. She was too enraptured in the mental image of Hiccup's dick.

She shook her head _What's happening to me_. Her sexual experience had been strictly limited to a drunk one-night stand. And it wasn't that great at all, that's why she hadn't ever taken up any of those offers from guys she got at the diner. Sex didn't seem like a great thing, just something to pass the time. Some for guys to get off on. But now…now she wanted to jump Hiccup's bones. Oh god, this wasn't good. She needed to stop thinking about Hiccup, _naked Hiccup,_ no STOP.

The drove in silence to the airport. Astrid couldn't stop clutching her jacket a bit too tightly, and tapping her leg. Hiccup had gotten a plane into Brisbane and then got a small plane out to Berk. The Berk Airport wasn't exactly large. They had no problem finding a parking spot.

They spotted Hiccup, he was laying down across a bench, still in his army gear, using his backpack as a pillow and his hat to block out light.

She ran over to him and something about him seemed off. He seemed…bigger, more bulky. She slowed down as she neared him.

"Hiccup?" she said, creeping forward

"Don't wake it, I can't deal with it right now" came a familiar nasal voice from behind her

She whirled around and was face to face with Hiccup, also decked out in his army gear. Astrid ran and leapt onto him, crash tackling him to the ground

"HICCUP!" she shrieked

She hugged him as tightly as she could, as if he'd disappear the moment she let go. She buried her face into his chest.

Hiccup chuckled slightly "Astrid…it's good to see you too"

"I missed you" she mumbled into his chest

He grabbed her chin and tilted her face upward. He leant forward and placed a kiss solidly on her lips. Eventually they had to part for air "I missed you too"

"So Hiccup" said Ruff in a sultry voice. Hiccup looked over and saw Ruff staring at a dishevelled Eret, it appeared their antics had woken him up "Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" she grinned slyly at Eret, coked her hip, and winked all at once.

Eret looked horrified, he gave Hiccup a look that plainly said 'HELP ME'

Hiccup untangled himself from Astrid and offered her a hand to help her get up

"Uh…guys. This is Eret, he's in the 1st ID with me in Charlie squad"

Eret waved meekly "Oh…Eret. Such a strong name, for a strong man" said Ruff, giving one of Eret's biceps a squeeze

"Uh…thankyou" said Eret, backing away "Strange person who is oddly forward"

"Oh" said Ruff, batting her eyelashes "I'm Ruffnut" she continued to stare at Eret as if he were a piece of meat

Hiccup still had an arm around Astrid, it was gently resting above her waist "Okay" he said slowly "Sorry Ruff, but we're tired and I've got to get Eret back home so….." he trailed off

"He could come home with me" she said in a husky voice

Eret gulped "No thanks" he gave a fake yawn and stretched "Oh, I'm so very tired. I'm afraid I'll have to decline"

Ruff pouted "Fine. Have fun with lover-boy" she called over her shoulder as she stalked away

"What…was that?" exclaimed Eret

"Sorry about that" said Astrid "Ruff can be pretty….full-on"

"So this is the infamous Astrid, ey?" Eret stood and walked over to them "I am Eret, son of Eret" he extended a hand which Astrid shook "I don't get it" he said after a moment. He looked at Hiccup "She's not swooning and collapsing into my arms, confessing her undying love for me. What kind of wicked hold do you have over this woman?"

Hiccup chuckled "It must be the sarcasm, I hear it's a huge turn-on"

Astrid smiled faintly, because really, it kinda was.

"What are you doing?" asked Hiccup "Do you want to go home or…?" he trailed off yet again

"I could stay at yours the night, I don't think your dad will mind, he's not even here. But he'll be back on Tuesday"

Hiccup nodded "Cool, so you all set Eret?"

Eret nodded "Good to go" Ruff had the pleasure of living right next to the airport, well it wasn't really a pleasure since whenever there was a light it was extremely loud in her house. So Ruff had walked home and left Astrid her car for the night. Astrid couldn't drive here because it was in at the mechanic's getting fixed.

The three adults got into Ruff's small hatchback and set off towards Hiccup's large house on the other side of town.

"Oh" Eret spoke up "I am actually quite tired. So if you two plan on…doing the deed…please do it quietly"

Astrid blushed and to her surprise Hiccup chuckled and didn't seem the least bit perturbed. He glanced over to her "That's just Eret, you'll get used to it"

"Joy" she said sarcastically

Once they got back to Hiccup's Eret immediately took off his long sleeve shirt, threw it in a corner, and collapsed face first onto the couch.

"Goodnight" said Hiccup as they walked past. Eret raised a hand in response. It seemed all too soon that they reached Hiccup's door

"I guess I'll just…" she said, gesturing to the guest-room across from Hiccup's

"Or…you could stay" he replied in a quiet voice

His eyes didn't meet hers and she gulped. "Yeah" she said, 100% confident "I'll stay"

Hiccup grinned shyly and opened his door. As soon as it was closed she crashed her lips against his and pushed him back onto the bed.

 **I need your opinion. I don't know if I want to do lemony things with this fic. I've never written lemon before. So, yes or no?**


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